


Rift

by JustThatObsession



Category: South Park
Genre: A little bit of fluff, Alternate Universe, Angst, Bad Ending, Blood, Blood and Gore, Craig Tucker Being An Asshole, Eric Cartman Being An Asshole, Gore, Heavy Angst, How Do I Tag, I mean not that much of an asshole, I think I overplayed the angst a little bit, I'm Bad At Tagging, Insanity, Kenny's association with cthulhu really fucks him over lol, Kyle goes insane btw, M/M, Selective Use of Canon, Unhappy Ending, Whump, but it's south park so there isn't really any canon, conspiracy theorist!tweek, cryptid!Kenny, final warning: don't read this if you don't like angst, haha if you're looking for a fic with a happy ending go somewhere else, idk what else to tag, it's not that bad there's just nothing to balance it out, just a paragraph or so, my working title for this fic is just "OOF", not for very long, not really tho, other dimensions, so does Kenny I guess, starting off with the easy tags, the oblivion, this is not a fic for the faint of heart
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-02
Updated: 2019-01-25
Packaged: 2019-07-24 01:52:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,801
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16171172
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustThatObsession/pseuds/JustThatObsession
Summary: Kenny was four years old when he died the first time. He had slipped and fallen into Stark’s Pond, his clothes too heavy for him to fight back to the surface. His felt as though it was going to explode. Cold water filled his lungs and black spots danced across his vision. He gave one final kick towards the surface before his heavy limbs went limp and everything went black. He drowned.Kenny was sixteen years old when his mom died the same way.





	1. Lost

**Author's Note:**

> Special thanks to [@SilviaSilver](https://silviasilver.tumblr.com/) (you can find her on Tumblr) for helping me come up with the idea as well as being my beta reader!

Kenny was four years old when he died the first time. He had slipped and fallen into Stark’s Pond, his clothes too heavy for him to fight back to the surface. His felt as though it was going to explode. Cold water filled his lungs and black spots danced across his vision. He gave one final kick towards the surface before his heavy limbs went limp and everything went black. He drowned.

Kenny was sixteen years old when his mom died the same way. She was missing for three days until Heidi Turner had found her floating face down in the middle of the water. Forensics said she had died of a drug overdose, Kenny wasn’t surprised.

The funeral was the worst part. It was the one day Kenny didn’t have his parka to cover the grotesque scars that were littered across his body. Instead, he had to tug awkwardly at his sleeves and ignore the lingering stares of his friends and family. The entire event was a blur of stiff hugs and condolences, the part that stuck in his mind indefinitely was when the casket was lowered into the ground. The priest’s voice faded into the background as his eyes began to burn. He knew his mom hadn’t been the best, but the thought that he’d never see her again caused the lump in his throat to grow even bigger.

A small sniffle caused Kenny to glance at the small girl standing next to him. Karen’s eyes were red and puffy and her cheeks were wet with tears. Kenny put a gentle hand on her shoulder and pulled her closer. She buried her head into his side and Kenny tightened his grip around her small frame. He held back his own tears as he gazed upon her shaking body. He had to be strong, if not for him, then for Karen.

When the service ended he cast a furtive glance over to his dad, passed out next to the alcohol, and grasped Karen’s hand firmly in his own. He didn’t let go until they had shut the front door of their ramshackle house behind him.

Kenny spent the rest of the night alternating between comforting Karen and trying to get some sleep of his own, but every time he’d close his eyes he’d see the image of his mother’s pale, lifeless face as she was put into the ground.

You’d think someone who experienced death so often would be used to it.

The thought made Kenny’s face twist into a mirthless smile. It faded when Karen shifted in her sleep, pulling Kenny from his morbid thoughts. He carefully pulled the covers further onto her body, planting a soft kiss on her forehead before stalking silently out of the room. The door shut behind him with a soft click as he tiptoed back to his room.

A quick glance at his clock told him it that the night had ended a while ago, the sunrise already beginning to form outside his bedroom window. He grabbed his parka from where it had been lazily strewn across his floor and slipped his arms into the sleeves. Once he had pulled the hood over his face the entire world seemed to slow and he was glad to have a moment to breathe.

The bed creaked in protest when he collapsed back into the mess of blankets and pillows. He shut his bleary eyes for what could have barely been a second, opening them only when the sunlight filtering through his broken blinds became too much to bear. With heavy limbs and a foggy brain, Kenny wandered into the kitchen, searching for a scrap of food among the accumulation of empty cereal boxes.

His gaze shifted to his sister, curled up on the couch nibbling on a granola bar.

“Is Dad back yet?” Kenny already knew the answer.

Karen shook her head and pulled her knees up to her chest.

“I’m going to school,” The blond said. He grabbed his bag from where it had sat untouched for the past two days.

“Already?” Karen asked. The puffiness of her eyes was made more apparent when she sat up straight to get a good look at Kenny. “The funeral was yesterday.”

The number one thing Kenny didn’t want to do was stay home all day. Staying home would mean burying his head in his pillow and wallowing in his own self-pity. He would rather go to school and pretend everything was fine then be faced with the crushing reality that his mother was dead and eventually everyone else he knew and loved would follow.

The bus was late, like usual, meaning Kenny had to spend an extra ten minutes standing outside in the freezing cold. Naturally, Stan, Kyle, and Cartman were standing in their normal spots. A plume of steam escaped Kyle’s mouth with each breath and Stan’s cheeks were flushed pink from the biting cold. Cartman seemed unbothered by the snowy landscape surrounding him.

“Hey guys,” Kenny said, his voice muffled by the thick fabric of his parka.

“I thought you were going to stay home today,” Kyle replied.

Stan and Cartman didn’t even glance in Kenny’s direction.

The blond shook his head, a few snowflakes drifted to the ground from the top of his hood. The group fell into a solemn silence. When the bus pulled up to the stop, Kenny was the first to board. He travelled slowly to a seat in the back, trying to ignore the occasional stare his classmates shot him before returning to their conversations.

The seat was lumpy and gross and it took Kenny a while to find a comfortable position. They lurched forwards and Kenny moved his gaze to the window. The sun was out and people were moving along the sidewalks just like any other day. Kenny exhaled deeply, his breath fogging up the window and obscuring his view of the outside world. It was probably for the best, he could already feel a heavy lump forming in his throat and he was doing everything he could to keep the tears from spilling.

It was stupid, really. He had always known something like this would happen eventually, he just didn’t expect it to be so soon. He blinked his eyes a few times and went back to staring. He saw Red and Bebe, most likely skipping to hang out at the mall or something like that. In the distance, South Park Secondary School was quickly approaching.

Next to Kenny, someone shifted uncomfortably in their seat. The sound of nylon fabric rubbing against itself was enough to capture Kenny’s gaze. It was Kyle. Of fucking course it was Kyle. The Redhead was always there when Kenny showed even the slightest sign of distress. Hell, he was there when Kenny didn’t need him! Not that Kenny ever needed anyone. He was doing perfectly fine on his own.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Kyle finally said, worry seeping into his voice.

“Yeah,” Kenny replied. “I’m good.”

The bus pulled to a stop and Kenny packed up his things and left before Kyle could even formulate a reply. The bell rang as he stepped inside his first class. Calculus had never been Kenny’s strong suit but he didn’t really give a shit anyways. He placed his head on his desk and used the boring drone of his teacher explaining the average rate of change to slowly lull him to sleep.

He was startled awake by someone shaking his shoulder.

“Oh thank god, I thought you might’ve been dead or something.”

Kenny blinked his eyes open and used his hand to shield them against the bright fluorescent lighting. He scanned the room looking for the source of the voice only to see the face of his teacher was staring back at him.

“That would’ve looked really bad on my record.”

Kenny rubbed his eyes, a yawn escaping from his mouth. “What time is it?”

“Time for you to leave,” the teacher retorted. “You slept through the entire day! You didn’t wake up the two other times I tried to get you to leave so I assumed you were either dead or in a coma.”

“Wouldn’t be the first time,” Kenny chuckled mirthlessly at the statement.

With a subtle wave, he left the classroom just in time to see the bus leaving the school. Despite his 7 hour nap, Kenny couldn’t find the motivation or energy to chase after it so he prepared himself for the cold walk back to his equally cold house.

“Kenny!”

The blond stopped in his tracks. A gloved hand grabbed his shoulder and within seconds Kenny’s face was inches away from Kyle’s.

“So I know you’re probably super annoyed with me by now,” Kyle said, “but I didn’t see you in PE and then you weren’t on the bus I got worried.”

Kenny blanched. He hadn’t been aware that there was anyone who cared enough to miss the bus home just because they were worried.

“I mean you disappear all the time so it wasn’t really that big of a deal but I just thought because of what happened…” Kyle paused, “I thought maybe we could walk together?”

“Uh, sure,” Kenny muttered. He shoved his hands into his pockets and stepped to the side to make room for Kyle to walk next to him.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Kyle asked, his voice so soft it could barely be heard over the crunching of snow beneath their feet.

Kenny shrugged.

“Well if you ever need to, I’m here,” Kyle said.

Kenny could feel a melancholy growing across his face. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

Kyle gave Kenny a playful shove. “You better!”

A laughed escaped Kenny’s lips and he shoved Kyle back. The Redhead yelled in surprise as he slipped on a patch of ice and stumbled onto the road. Kenny’s heartbeat quickened as he spotted the approaching headlights in the distance. Kyle rose to his feet and dusted the clumps of snow off of his body. The screech of brakes filled the air but the car was still moving. Kyle glance in its direction, his eyes growing wide as he watched the vehicle come closer. Kenny leapt from the sidewalk, using all of his strength to push the Redhead out of the way right before he felt 4,000 pounds of steel collide with his body.

Kenny was familiar with the feeling of being by a car. It was one of his most common deaths. He could hear his bones snap as he hit the pavement, adrenaline coursing through his body. Muffled voices surrounded him as a pair of hands grabbed his body. He tried to move, to get up, to tell everyone that he was okay, but he couldn’t even twitch his finger.

He was beginning to feel himself slipping away. Thoughts became harder as the yells and screams became more distant. He managed to pry his eyes open long enough to burn the burn the image in front of him into his memory.

Green eyes, red hair, freckles...

Kenny tried to use the words as an internal mantra, something to keep him from fading into the darkness.

Green eyes, red hair…

He could feel the exhaustion taking his body and his mind. He really just wanted to sleep.

Green eyes…

He gave in and allowed himself to fall into the comforting embrace of death.

 

 

Kenny opened his eyes the moment he gained consciousness. He expected to see the soft morning light seeping in through his blinds as well as feel his scratchy sheets bunch up beneath him. Instead, there was no light. The room was so dark Kenny could barely see his hand in front of his face. The sheets beneath him were smooth enough to be silk. In fact, they probably were silk.

His bare feet hit the cold, stone floor and Kenny felt shivers wrack his body as he approached the only source of light. It was a window, or, more like an elongated hole cut into the wall. The sky was blood red, multicoloured planets visible in the distance. Stone carvings and pyramids littered the ground that had to be over 50 feet beneath him.

Kenny recognized the place. He had been there over six years ago during a game of superheroes with his friends.

He was in The Oblivion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for reading. I can't wait to write the next chapter!!!
> 
> my tumbkr is [@JustThatObsession](https://www.justthatobsession.tumblr.com) if you wanna give me a follow.


	2. Oblivion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kenny tries to find his way out of the Oblivion while Kyle mourns his lost friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof the end was super rushed but I wanted to get this chapter out as soon as possible so I could start on the next one.

Kyle winced as a paramedic cleaned the scrape on his arm. He tensed up a bit more every second that he sat there. He couldn’t understand why he was sitting in the snow getting a tiny cut bandaged while Kenny was being carted off to the hospital after being hit by a car!

“Stay still,” The paramedic said as she wrapped gauze tightly around Kyle’s arm.

“What the fuck do you mean ‘stay still’?!?” Kyle yelled, yanking his arm out of the paramedic’s grasp. “My friend just got hit by a fucking car!”

The paramedic just sighed and shook her head. “I’m sure he’s fine. Stop whining so I can finish this and move on to doing something actually useful.”

Kyle gritted his teeth and allowed the paramedic to finish bandaging his arm. The moment she let go he was already on his feet and walking in the direction of the hospital. He had to stop himself from flinching when a car drove by, the image of Kenny’s mangled body was still fresh in his mind. He had to stop himself when a wave of dizziness washed over him. The world spun as the clear blue skies shifted to blood red, and the _ground beneath him was coming closer and closer and Kenny squeezed his eyes shut seconds before he hit the ground. His bones shattered and he only had a few seconds of consciousness left before-_

Kyle gasped. He glanced around expecting to see more than just the street corner he was standing on. He had no idea what had just happened. Somehow he had just taken a mental trip to another dimension or something? Or at least he thought it was another dimension. There was no way any place on earth could have looked like that. He also could have sworn he’d seen, or at least felt, Kenny’s presence in whatever weird world he had just visited. If he had even gone there in the first place. There was a nagging voice in the back of Kyle’s head screaming that it was all just a hallucination.

Kyle had heard stories of people going insane from grief, but that was unrealistic. Kenny wasn’t dead so it wasn’t like there was anything to be sad about. Kyle quickened his pace, desperate to get to the hospital and see if Kenny was okay. The image of Kenny with twisted limbs, lying in a pool of his own blood flashed through Kyle’s mind. He rounded the corner, unable to keep out the doubts that plagued his very existence. 

The large sign reading ‘ _Hell’s Pass Hospital_ ’ came into Kyle’s view and he moved faster. He needed to know if Kenny was okay. By the time he reached the halls, he was sprinting. He put his arms out to keep himself from crashing straight into the reception desk.

“Kenny McCormick,” Kyle gasped, inhaling deep breaths to slow his rapid heartbeat. “Where is he?”

“Just a second,” the receptionist replied, her long nails clicking against the keys as she typed Kenny’s name into the hospital’s database. The results loaded and her polite smile dropped into a deep frown. She looked up from the computer, the bright reflection from the screen onto her glasses doing nothing to hide the sad look in her eyes. “I’m sorry to tell you this, but it looks like Kenny died on the way here.”

 

 

Kenny’s eyes fluttered open to the same crushing darkness and biting cold that he had woken up to last time. He let out a frustrated groan and buried his head into one of the silk pillows. Since jumping out of a ten-story window didn’t send him back to Earth, Kenny was at a loss for what to do next. His forehead was throbbing so hard he could barely think. He inhaled a shaky breath and rolled out of the bed.

Since he had actually taken the time to observe the room, Kenny had noticed the large oval-shaped mirror on the opposite wall. The edges were coated in what looked like gold and despite the thick darkness that plagued the room, Kenny could see his reflection perfectly.

His scars were gone.

Each and every marker of Kenny’s previous deaths had left his skin. He was left with nothing but a few freckles splashed across his face. He had always been self-conscious about them, especially when he was asked how they ended up there but now that they were gone… Kenny wasn’t sure how to feel.

Aside from the nonexistent scars, Kenny noticed the severe lack of anything other than a black robe hanging off of his thin frame. It looked like something a cultist would wear. In fact, Kenny was sure he had seen the exact same robe being worn by almost every member of the cult of Cthulhu. He shouldn’t have been surprised. He knew this had to do with his ties to the elder god but a small part of him had hoped that maybe it was all just some universal mix up and he’d end up back home any second. The chances of that happening were starting to look fairly small.

Having had enough with the mirror, Kenny let his eyes wander around the rest of the room. Other than the window and the bed, there was only one more thing present. It was a door about twice the size of any that Kenny had seen back on Earth. It was painted with an ebony-black colour, which contrasted significantly with the shining gold handle. Other than the window, it appeared to be the only exit in the room.  
Kenny approached the door cautiously, he had no idea what was waiting on the other side. He pressed his ear to one of the wooden panels. Silence. The door itself was cold to the touch, causing Kenny to pull back the moment he had determined that there was nothing on the other side. He rubbed the numbness out of his frozen face and placed his hand on the handle. He had stalled long enough. He grit his teeth and steeled his nerves. The hinges creaked as Kenny slowly pushed the door open. There was nothing on the other side except for a circular set of stairs leading to the bottom of the tower.

Kenny let out a breath that he hadn’t even realized he’d been holding and advanced towards the first step. The sound of his feet hitting the stone floor echoed through the room. He carefully placed his foot onto the step, waiting for some sort of trap to be sprung or an otherworldly creature to eat him alive. Nothing happened. Kenny felt some of the tenseness leave his body as he began his descent.

 

 

“It wasn't your fault, Kyle.”

Kyle rolled his eyes at Stan's remorseful tone. He looked up at the sky, the vibrant pinks and oranges on display did nothing to keep the tears from spilling out of his eyes. 

“Yes, it was,” Kyle replied. A soft wind sent daggers of cold through his body. “I should've been more careful. I-”

“There was nothing you could have done,” Stan said. His eyes had grown red and puffy as well.

Kyle sniffled. He wrapped his arms around himself and focused on the way the light reflected off Stark’s pond. He shifted uncomfortably on the bench.

Stan sighed, shoving his hands into his pockets. “If you wanna talk or-”

“What about you?” Kyle interrupted. He didn't want to talk about what happened so he changed the subject instead. “Aren't you sad or something?”

“Of course I'm sad. Kenny was my friend!” Stan replied. “But you were actually there, like, I dunno but I feel like that's the kinda shit that would mess you up.”

“I'm fine,” Kyle lied. He wasn't fine. He felt like every part of him was being sucked into the void that Kenny left behind and he had nothing to fill it.

Stan's disbelief was evident on his face. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah,” Kyle's voice cracked. More tears started to gather in the corners of his eyes.

“Kyle…” Stan trailed off. He blinked quickly and swiped at his own eyes. “It's gonna be okay.”

Kyle didn't answer. He clenched his fists, the sharp pain of his nails digging into the skin of his palms was refreshing. His mind felt foggy as if a dark cloud had taken residence inside his skull. Kyle rubbed his temples, attempting to get rid of a sudden headache that was quickly becoming more and more painful. He could feel Stan give his leg a small nudge and he looked up to see the noiret with his arms outstretched.

Kyle gave in and buried his head into Stan’s neck. Tears slid down his cheeks as he felt heavy sobs engulf his body. He could feel Stan’s arms wrapped around him. The pressure was _suffocating. Every part of Kenny’s body was screaming in agony as the vines wrapped around his torso and yanked him into the air._

Kyle pushed away from Stan, his heart beating heavily.

_His breath was being squeezed out of him. The greenery anchored onto his limbs, slowly pulling them apart._

He gasped when a spike of cold engulfed him.

_Warm, red blood dripped from where his arm used to be. His voice was becoming too hoarse to keep screaming._

He was laying in the snow, thrashing his limb trying to escape the web of vines that were holding him prisoner.

_Something wrapped around his neck. A loud snap echoed through the air._

“Kyle!”

The redhead groaned and rubbed his head. The throbbing had increased ten-fold. He was shaking, inhaling quick, shallow breaths as he tried to regain his bearings. He had just watched Kenny die. Except it wasn’t Kenny. It couldn’t be Kenny.

But what if it was?

“Kyle!” Stan shouted, grabbing on to Kyle’s shoulders as he tried to get his attention. “What was that? Are you okay?”

Kyle shook his head. “I…” He muttered weakly, unable to form the words.

“Do you need me to call an ambulance or something?” Stan had turned a deathly white, his brow had wrinkled with worry.

“No, it’s okay,” Kyle said, after finding the strength speak.

Stan released a sigh of relief. He took a small step backwards and sat in the snow across from Kyle. “Do you wanna explain what just happened?”

Kyle bit his lip. He didn’t know what happened. He wasn’t sure if he knew anything anymore. Except for one thing. He could feel it inside him. He was sure of it.

“Stan,” Kyle said, wringing his hands together as he carefully watched Stan’s face for his reaction. “I don’t think Kenny’s dead.”

 

Kenny let out a frustrated yell as he woke up yet again in the same silken sheets as he had the previous ten times he'd died. He was beginning to get pretty sick of seeing the same dark grey walls of the room every day for the past however long he had been there. Although he wasn't entirely sure there even were days since there wasn't a sun and the sky never really changed from its blood-red demeanour.

His head hurt.

More than usual at least. Everything around him appeared to be more defined yet less present. He felt like he was looking at the world through a kaleidoscope. Even the colours themselves seemed to jump out at him before blending together into an ugly mess. With a groan, he moved his fingers up to his forehead in an attempt to check if he had a fever.

He gasped when they touched something squishy and a stinging pain shot through his forehead. His vision went blurry and a warm wet substance rolled down the bridge of his nose. He pulled himself out of the bed and stumbled to the mirror. He froze as the blurriness faded and he was faced with a stranger’s reflection staring back at him.

His face was different. He couldn't entirely put his finger on what was wrong but he knew something was off. He realized that it might've been the two black lumps sprouting out of his head or the way his fingernails had twisted into pointed claws. But he noticed the most prominent change last. He slapped his forehead after realizing his own obliviousness but instantly regretted it when he hit the massive third eye sitting in the centre.

He looked away, no longer wanting to see his reflection in the mirror. He was afraid that if he looked again, he wouldn't know what was staring back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kenny is a complete dumbass and none of you can change my mind.


	3. Captive

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kyle is betrayed by the only person he trusts. Kenny dies. Again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M SO SORRY FOR THE WAIT I PROMISE THE NEXT CHAPTER WILL BE OUT SOONER THAN THIS ONE WAS!!!
> 
> (The past few weeks have been super busy for me)

Kyle sat alone in his room. A soft breeze blew in through the window, causing the curtains to shift lazily to the side. He gazed back down at the pamphlet that had been crumpled in his clenched fist. ‘South Park Mental Hospital’ was written across the front of the paper in bold letters.

“I just don’t know what to do Gerald, the boy needs help!”

Kyle winced at his mother’s raised voice. He could hear her yelling from four rooms away.

“I know that! But there has to be another solution!” His father’s voice was just as loud.

Apparently, Stan had told Kyle’s parents about what had happened at the pond. He claimed that he was ‘worried’ about Kyle. Kyle played the end of the conversation over in his head for the umpteenth time that night.

“Don’t worry,” Stan said, a sympathetic smile growing across his face. “I believe you.”

The redhead smiled back. He knew he could count on Stan to believe him.

Kyle snarled at the memory. He rose to his feet, a frustrated shout escaping his lips as he sent the nearby bookshelf crashing to the floor. Pages scattered across the room. He grabbed one of his many knick-knacks off his desk and hurled it toward the wall. It shattered into a million pieces and it felt good. Tears and snot mixed together as they dripped down the redhead’s chin. Unintelligible screams shredded his vocal chords while he continued to destroy everything he could get his hands on.

He never noticed his parents going quiet or the door to his room flying open. He did notice a pair of arms wrapping around him and keeping him from continuing his destructive path. Kyle flailed his limbs in a panicked attempt to escape the grip of the person holding him back. His elbow collided with his father’s nose with a satisfying crunch. Gerald gasped in pain and Kyle took his chance. He sprinted down the stairs and out the front door.

He didn’t dare look back.

He continued sprinting down the street. The frozen air stung his face. He could hear his parents starting their car in the distance. He picked up his pace. Breathing was becoming harder. There was only one place left he could go. He forced his tired legs to pull him over the train tracks. The headlights of a car illuminated the road behind him. He reached Kenny’s house and pounded his fist against the door. The frail piece of wood shook in its hinges.

The door flew open. A brown-haired girl stood on the other side.

“Kyle?” Karen asked. Rubbing her eyes.

Kyle was shaking. He inhaled three quick breaths before speaking. “I know it’s late but I have something I need to tell you-”

“Kyle!” Sheila’s voice echoed through the night.

Karen’s eyes widened. “What’s going on?”

“You have to listen to me,” Kyle was talking faster now that he could hear his mother’s approaching footsteps. “Kenny’s not dead- he’s alive- you have to believe me!”

A hand grabbed him roughly by the shoulder causing him to reel back in alarm.

“He’s not dead!” Kyle shouted over the sound of sirens. They were slowly growing louder.

“Kyle!” Sheila yelled, her voice melding together with the rest of the noise. “Calm down!”

“Please,” Kyle begged, reaching for Karen’s arm. “Please just believe me!”

Karen jumped backwards the moment Kyle’s fingers brushed against her skin. Unshed tears plagued her eyes as she looked at Kyle’s face through blurry vision.

“I’m sorry,” She muttered, furthering herself from Kyle’s desperate reach. “I can’t.”

Kyle’s shoulders dropped. His shaky breaths grew slower as the grip on his shoulder loosened. There was a sharp jab in the side of the neck and Kyle gasped. His limbs grew heavy and darkness flickered through his vision. Before he knew it he had collapsed into the snow.

 

 

Kenny was starting to grow tired of the Oblivion.

He had been walking through the middle of a wasteland when he felt something change. The world spun and a sudden drowsiness overcame him. When he opened his eyes, a blood-red river sat in front of him. The thick, sludge-like water drifted lazily forward, bubbles rising to the top and spewing a putrid steam into the air.

Kenny looked into the distance, on the other side was what looked like a jungle. He hoped it might be a jungle. A jungle might have food and if anything, that was what Kenny wanted. His stomach growled as if to agree with him. He took a step toward the river, the toxic steam increasing his wooziness tenfold.

Kenny had grown taller since arriving in the alternate-dimension. His limbs had become longer, more nimble and his strength had increased to inhuman levels. Although, it seemed to come with a price. He had grown long, twisting horns out of the top of his head and more eyes had started appearing all over his body. His senses had become heightened to the point of being uncomfortable and at some point and an extra set of arms had started growing in.

He wasn’t sure how he was going to explain his change in appearance if he got home.

When. He reminded himself. Although, he could barely even remember what home was.

He took a few steps back so he could get a running start at the river. His feet pounded against the sandy bank as he gained speed, lifting off only inches away from the churning liquid. The wind whipped through his hair as he hurtled toward the other side. The trees and underbrush were growing closer and closer. There were only a few feet left before he reached the other side. He was going to make it, he knew he would!

Liquid splashed around him as he landed knee deep in the river, the liquid sizzling as it made contact with his skin. He didn’t feel it at first, taking pride in the distance he had managed to travel. He had only taken one step toward the shore when the liquid thickened, trapping him in place. His breathing quickened as he tried to free himself. He screamed when the liquid started climbing up his legs, pulling him deeper into the river’s depths. The steam rising off of the surface was making Kenny’s struggles harder until he eventually couldn’t struggle any harder.

He fell backwards into the liquid. It pulled him deeper and deeper and it burned. Kenny opened his mouth to scream but was greeted with a mouthful of acid. It forced its way down his throat and into his lungs. He thrashed helplessly, trying to find purchase against the sandy ground he’d been pushed into. He forgot everything except for his need to escape. His need to escape the pain and agony that had been forced upon him. But it was starting to engulf his mind. It was the only thing he could ever remember feeling;

Pain and agony and death.

 

 

Stan groaned and rolled over onto his back. He reached over the side of his bed and grasped one of the empty bottles that lay scattered next to it. He pressed the cool glass against his forehead but it did nothing to soothe the dull ache that pulsed through his brain. The brightness that trickled through his blinds burned through his eyelids and caused red to flood his vision. He shifted onto his stomach, burying his head into his pillow to block out the sunlight and the usual screech of tires and honking horns outside.

A loud buzz invaded Stan’s eardrums and echoed through Stan’s mind, bouncing against the sides of his skull. He hastily reached over to his nightstand for his phone. It took him a clumsy tries before he managed to wrap his fingers around the smooth surface of the device. He pulled it up to his face and turned it on, squinting against the brightness of the screen. He had seven missed calls from Kyle as well as a single voicemail. He turned the phone onto speaker and placed his phone back onto the nightstand, allowing the message to deluge the room.

‘I thought I could trust you.’ Kyle’s voice was low, barely audible through the phone’s speakers.

‘I don’t know why, but I really, really, thought I could trust you.’

Stan sat up straight, angling his head towards the sound of Kyle’s voice. His eyes grew wide as the message continued.

‘How could you!’ The redhead’s voice was rising in volume and intensity. ‘You told me you believed me!’

All of the colour drained from Stan’s face.

‘You could’ve just talked to me,’ The sound of heavy footsteps were audible over the message, Stan assumed Kyle had begun pacing the room. ‘Instead you went behind my back and convinced my fucking PARENTS that I’m fucking INSANE!”

A shaky breath caught in the back of Stan’s throat. With a fearful knot twisting his stomach he reached for the phone and turned off the message. Everything went silent. Stan couldn’t hear anything except for his own blood rushing through his ears. His heart pounded against his ribcage as he clicked on the ‘recent calls’ button. There was no way he had called Kyle’s parents last night. Was there? Everything from the night before was hazy. Stan held his breath as the app loaded all of his recent contacts. He let out a despaired sob when sure enough, at the very top of the page was the name ‘Sheila Broflovski’ in bolded letters.

 

 

Kyle woke with a gasp. His eyes flew flew open as the previous events flooded his mind. He remembered running to Kenny’s house, an ambulance pulling up behind him, the jab of something sharp in his neck. He assumed he passed out after that. He forced himself to focus on everything around him. The walls were painted a pale blue and the lights were dimmed. There was nothing else inside except for a few other empty beds next to Kyle’s. On the opposite wall to Kyle was a metal door with a small, plastic window in the top-centre.

The redhead made a move to get out of the bed and head towards the door but found his arms were being weighed down by something with a similar texture to leather. The initial panic caused his breathing quicken, his vision swam until he forced his eyes shut and focused on remaining calm. Kyle opened his eyes again, allowing them to drift over to his arms, both of them were tied down by a pair of leather straps. He assumed that it was the same with his legs but the specific angle he was at prevented him from seeing past his toes.

The door opened with a soft click and a woman dressed in all white stepped inside. He heels clicked against the tile floor as she approached Kyle’s bed, a forced smile was spread across her face.

“Hello there, Kyle,” She said. Her voice was so sweet it was sickening.

Kyle’s mouth went dry. His tongue was almost too heavy to speak. “Where- where am I?”

“You’re in the South Park Mental House. Your parents checked you in last night.”

Kyle furrowed his brow and tugged against the restraints. “Why am I-”

“You were a bit out of sorts last night.” The woman interrupted. Her smile started to fade. “We had to make sure you weren’t going to hurt yourself when you woke up.”

“Well I’m not hurting myself now,” Kyle said. “Can you untie me?”

“I’m sorry, I don’t have the clearance.” She replied. Her smile disappeared completely. “A doctor will be with you shortly.”

Kyle tugged against the restraints again. The woman got up to leave.

“Hey!” He yelled after her. “Wait-”

The door clicked shut.

Kyle huffed and let his eyes fall shut. The patter of rain against the roof was relaxing enough that he was able to avoid dissolving into a panic. He knew he needed to find a way out of there. He had no other option. As long as Kenny was still out there he couldn’t just sit on his ass and wait for him to get even more lost on that other world. With a renewed determination, Kyle began to plan his escape.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to thank everyone who's leaving kudos and comments, you're the people providing most of my motivation to keep on writing!


	4. Different

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kenny dies. (big surprise!)
> 
> Kyle adjusts to a new environment.
> 
> Stan and Cartman have a conversation.
> 
> Tweek is lucky enough to witness the above conversation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This isn't meant to be a commentary on mental hospitals or anything, this entire fic is just angst for the sake of angst.
> 
> TW for bullying I guess?? also mental health/hospitals??????

It was cold. Cold and dark.

Sharp rocks pressed into his feet. Branches scratched at his skin. Everything hurt, yet he couldn’t find the source of the pain. He thought maybe it had something to do with home. Home? He couldn’t remember where home was. He wasn’t even sure if it was real. He wasn’t sure about a lot of things. He didn’t even know his name.

Kyle? His mind supplied. That wasn't right. The name was familiar but it wasn’t his own. His name reminded of pain and darkness and death. That name reminded him of comfort and lightness and life.

“Kenny!”

That was it. Kenny angled his head towards the noise, his vision blurring as numerous eyes fixated on a spot in the distance. A ray of light had begun to filter through the canopy of leaves above him. It flickered as the branches above swayed in non-existent wind.

“Help me!”

The source of the sound became clearer as he approached it. He weaved between the tightly grown trees, making little sound as he traversed the thick undergrowth. It was a girl. She was small and brown hair that fell to her shoulders. She reminded Kenny of home.

Kenny surged forwards. He put his extra limbs to use as he moved faster than he ever had to get her. He needed to protect her from the horrors of the Oblivion. He finally reached her, clawed hands stretching out to grab her and get her out of there. He was going to get her home if it was the last thing he did.

She screamed when he touched her. Her body dissolved into dust and slipped through Kenny’s fingers, carried off in the wind. A branch snapped in the distance and he whipped around. A low growl rumbled in the back of his throat as he surveyed the area. A guttural shriek erupted from his mouth when pain exploded in his back. Something sharp pushed through his skin. His muscled and bone tore and cracked as it emerged from the other side. Black liquid dripped from the blade and the wound and bubbled up in his throat. His face was contorted into a soundless scream as it pooled in his mouth and dripped down his chin.

The girl with brown hair stepped into his field of vision. Except it wasn’t her. Her face was plagued with a cruel smile which sported needle-like teeth and a forked tongue. Her eyes were wild and her hands had shifted into scythes. Her appearance continued to change. Her brown hair fell to the ground in clumps. Spider-like legs burst from her abdomen with a sickening squelch. It’s skin peeled away to reveal a charcoal-grey underneath. Bits and pieces of it still fell from its body as it examined its prey.

It laughed. Except it didn’t sound like a laugh. It sounded like a cacophony of screams, each one more agonizing than the rest. She raised her other arm. He closed his eyes just as she drove it into his skull.

 

 

Kyle screamed until his throat went raw. Dried up tears clung to his face, leaving ugly tracks running from his swollen, pink eyes to the edge of his jaw. He struggled against the white jacket keeping his arms pinned to his sides. The metal buckles that held his arms in place clinked together with every movement. It was maddening.

The padded room provided no comfort and Kyle spent his days with his back pressed against the wall, watching the thick iron door, waiting for it to open. Sometimes he would hear footsteps echoing through the hallway with vigour. Sometimes someone would enter the room; light would pour in from the hallway and Kyle would drink up the small taste of freedom he had been starved of. Sometimes it was a doctor who came, other times it was the guards coming to drag him off to another room filled with horrifying equipment designed to ‘cure’ him. This time it was a nurse. Her scowl appeared to permanently etched into her face as it had never changed since the first time he saw her.

“Will you just shut up!” The nurse shouted, her face turning red.

The corner of Kyle’s lips curled upwards when he heard her voice. He couldn’t remember the last time that somebody had spoken to him outside of trying to convince him that the things he’d seen weren’t real, that his own brain was lying to him, that he needed to be cured, that Kenny was dead. 

“I’ve had to work two twelve-hour shifts and I don’t have the patience or energy to listen to your fucking screaming any longer!” The nurse continued. Her fist tightened around the rag she clutched in her right hand. “So shut up, or I’ll make you.”

Kyle stifled the laughter that bubbled in his throat. He could feel Kenny’s presence pressing against his consciousness, pushing against his skull. He could feel all of Kenny’s thoughts and emotions. All of his pain. Some nurse at a mental institution didn’t scare him. He couldn’t hold it in any longer. He let out a low chuckle, the sides of his eyes crinkled as his lips twisted into a smirk.

“It doesn’t matter,” Kyle said. “He’s coming to get me.”

He didn’t see her hand coming. The resounding smack hurt Kyle’s ears when her knuckles made contact with his face. Electrifying pain spread through his cheek and he could already feel a bruise beginning to form. He fell limply onto his side, inhaling a deep breath and waiting for it to be over. The nurse grabbed him roughly by his shoulders and pushed him onto his back. He squeezed his eyes shut, not willing to see the nurses face as she forced his mouth open and shoved the rag inside.

The rough fabric rubbed against the side of his mouth and pressed against his tongue. He let out a muffled groan as his stomach twisted itself into knots with the effort it took him to not vomit. He gagged into the cloth, pushing down the bile that was rising into the throat. He almost didn’t hear the nurse’s heavy sigh. Her feet were almost silent against the padded floor as she exited the room, slamming the door behind her.

 

 

“DUDE!” Cartman shouted, his shoulders shaking with the hysterical laughter that overtook his body. “I can’t fucking believe it, first Kenny dies and now-” He cut himself off to wipe the tears that were forming in the corners of his eyes. “And now his gay lover goes insane? Jesus, fuck I couldn’t come up with this if I tried!”

“Shut up,” Stan muttered. He buried his face in his hands to hide the tears that pricked his eyes. There was no way the fatass was going to see him cry.

“Don’t tell me that you don’t think this is the most hilarious thing you’ve ever heard,” Cartman poked Stan’s shoulder when he didn’t respond. “It’s comedy gold!”

Stan sunk lower into his seat. He had chosen to spend lunch in the bathroom because he wanted to be alone, not so Cartman could torment him.

“Oh come on,” Cartman’s heaving breaths grew louder as he approached Stan. His voice grew deeper when he realized he was being ignored. “Everyone knows you’re the reason he was sent there in the first place.”

Stan whipped his head up, eyes blown wide as they took in Cartman’s gleeful smirk and the way his mismatched eyes sparkled at the sight of Stan’s expression.

“You… what?” Stan stuttered, rising to his feet.

“Word travels quickly in towns like these,” Cartman said. He was close enough that Stan could smell the Salsbury Steak on his breath. The brunette had grown a lot since they were kids, Stan had to look up to meet his eyes. Cartman laid one of his hands on Stan’s shoulder, each finger was pressed hard enough into his skin that he was sure he’d wake up with bruises the next morning. “Stop pretending you actually cared about him.”

Stan let out a pained yelp as he was thrown against the tiled wall.

“Stop lying to yourself,” Cartman’s fist collided with Stan’s face. “You hate Kyle even more than I do.”

Stan couldn’t find the energy to fight back. Instead, he slumped to the floor, squeezed his eyes shut, and braced himself for the next blow.

It never came.

Stan cracked open an eye just in time to see a blur of blue and hear the loud smack that echoed against the cracked tiles that coated the walls. There was a grunt of pain and Cartman stumbled out of the room mumbling what was probably every profanity in existence. Stan blinked until his vision focused on the person who saved him.

“You’d think that someone capable of scamming their classmate out of a hundred bucks would be able to dodge a few punches from our friendly neighbourhood fatass,” Craig said.

“You’re never going to let that go, are you?” Stan replied. He brought two of his fingers up to his lip and pulled them away covered in bright red blood.

“Not if I can help it,” Craig shrugged. His voice was as infuriatingly monotoned as it had been every day since Stan had met the guy. “You should put some ice on that.” He motioned to the general area of Stan’s face. “You don’t need it getting any uglier than it already is.”

“Thanks,” Stan pressed his sleeve against his nose to quell the bleeding. “I'll keep that in mind.”

Stan rose to his feet and dusted himself off, ignoring the pitiful expression that engulfed Craig's features.

“I’ll see you around, I guess,” Stan said as he stepped out of the washroom.

Craig shrugged. “Yeah, I guess you will.”

 

 

“Where the fuck do you think you're going, freak.”

Tweek stopped in his tracks, his entire body frozen in place. He could feel the eyes of the person speaking tearing into the back of his head.

A rough shove to his back caused him to turn around with a shout.

“What is wrong with you?” The guy talking to Tweek was twice his size, his dark eyes lighting up when they fell upon Tweek’s fearful expression.

Tweek’s grip tightened around the paper cup he held in his hand. The black Tweek Bros logo stood out blaringly against the white background.

“Did you go over your coffee quota for the day?”

Tweek took a large step backwards, preparing himself to flee at a moments notice.

“I wouldn't be surprised. You're such a spaz, you probably live off of the stuff.”

The cup was ripped out of Tweek’s grasp. He reached to take it back but his fingers closed around nothing but thin air. He looked up at the bully’s dark eyes and grit his teeth, shoving his hands in his pockets to hide the spasms that overtook them.

“Give it back,” he whispered so quietly that he was surprised anyone else heard him.

“What was that?” The bully asked, waving the cup tauntingly in front of Tweek’s face. “I couldn’t hear you.”

Tweek took a large step backwards, deciding it would be best to run rather than fight someone almost three times his size. The bully seemed to notice because he immediately stopped.

“Fine, whatever.”

Tweek’s eyes snapped up to the bully’s face and he shot him the meanest glare he could muster.  
“Take it.”

Tweek gasped when the hot brown liquid made contact with his face. It poured down his shoulders and seeped into his clothes, burning the skin underneath. He bit his tongue trying hold back a scream as he stumbled backwards, tears pricking his eyes. A copper taste flooded his mouth and his feet slipped against the floor, slick with coffee. He managed to gain enough of his bearings to push past the hoards of people, their giggles and whispers quickly became the only thing he could hear. He found his way to washroom and pushed through the door. He slammed it behind him and exhaled deeply.

The coffee had cooled but still provided little relief from the burned skin underneath. Tweek grabbed a handful of paper towels from a nearby dispenser and began to wipe away as much of the coffee as he could. He was only half finished wiping it from his face when the bathroom door opened with a soft creak. He gained enough sense to step back into the one of the stalls and had just closed the door in time to hear footsteps and a soft sniffle. He had just prepared himself to leave the stall when he heard the bathroom door open again, this time with a lot more force.

There were voices. The first one was shouting, and Tweek recognized it as Cartman, one of the biggest assholes in the entire fucking school. The second one was quieter and a lot harder to make out. Despite the fact he was yelling, Tweek could very clearly hear Cartman laughing as well. It was an unnerving sound, the type of thing you’d expect to hear right before someone attacked you from behind.

There was a loud thwack and someone groaned. Tweek slapped a hand over his mouth to stop a terrified shriek from escaping. There was the sound of shuffling, then the voices started up again. That time, they were quieter. He pulled out his phone and typed as fast as his shaking fingers would allow. He shoved it back into his pocket and waited. There was another long stretch of silence. Tweek’s phone buzzed.

**Craig Tucker, 12:37**  
_I’ll be there in a minute._

The bathroom door opened and footsteps echoed against the tiled floors. There was another thwack. There was some scuffling and the bathroom door was hastily opened and shut. Tweek let out a breath he didn’t even realize he was holding.

And then, there was silence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading!


	5. Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly, I'm not a huge fan of this chapter but I don't feel like rewriting it.

He was getting desperate. With every death, he was losing more and more of his old life. If it even was his old life, he was beginning to think that it was all just a dream created to give him a false hope as cruel as everything else in that desolate land. His feet dragged across the ground, leaving trails in the dust. Thirst scratched at his throat and hunger gnawed at his stomach. He knew well enough that there was nothing quench his desires for food and water so he kept moving.

He stopped when his foot scuffed against the ground hard enough to reveal a soft glow underneath. He blinked, expecting the light to disappear. He’d seen the glow before but it never stayed for long, just a flicker of light in an ocean of misery. This time it remained present, illuminating the air as it cast a steady hum into the parts of his foot that it had made contact with. Something about it felt off like it was the one thing in that world that wasn’t supposed to be there.

He blinked again. The light moved, travelling across the sand at supersonic speeds. He knew he should be cautious but there was something about it that he knew meant he should follow it. He was able to keep up easily, the wind whipped through his hair as he continued pushing forwards. As he looked around, he noticed other trails being made, all of them crisscrossing and circling each other like they were the web of a giant spider.

He watched as another light swerved in front of him, intersecting the path he was following with the other. The moment he touched the place they connected he felt the air leave his lungs and his vision go blank. His stomach dropped as he was catapulted through the air until he finally stopped. He landed in a forest, bright light filtered through the leaves and cool air filled his lungs as he gasped for breath. Birds chirped in the distance and Kenny raised his head just in time to feel himself being pulled away as if he were attached to an interdimensional rubber band.

When he stopped again he found himself staring back at the familiar glow. He took a step past the intersection and gazed down the hundreds of paths that lined that ground. The further he looked the more closely-knit, crossing in groups of three, four, and as he looked at the intersection that glowed more intensely than any other he counted at least seven. He began moving faster, taking deep breaths and he grew closer. Somehow he knew he had to get there, ti was the only way he was going to be free of that dimension. Of the place that had kept him trapped for so long.

He made contact with a set of four paths. That time he was able to stay in the other place for much longer. He was near the edge of a forest, bright lights shone from beyond the treeline. There was so much noise, especially compared to the silence of the Oblivion. He grasped at the trunks of nearby trees, his nails digging into the soft bark as he struggled to keep his suddenly tired body from collapsing. There was voice, a scream. He whipped around, teeth bared, just in time to see a young girl with bright orange hair pulled into pigtails. There was a bright flash and he was back in the Oblivion.

He was getting close to the centre of the web of light, each step taking him closer to home. He stood at the edge of the intersection, closing his and taking a moment to remember the girl with brown hair and the boy with green eyes. He would find them and they would be back together again.

He stepped forward.

 

 

Tweek took an absent sip of his coffee as he stared blankly at the empty tables around him. His parents were making him take yet another night shift at their store and he was less than happy about it. He had just about resigned himself to the boredom the night was to entail when the lights began to flicker. Tweek shrieked and dropped his coffee. The ceramic mug shattered and spread sharp fragments across the floor.

Tweek took a moment to compose himself before carefully stepping around the puddle of coffee. He head toward the storeroom in hopes of finding something to clean it up. The storeroom door was sticky as usual and it took Tweek quite a bit of shoving before he finally managed to force it open. The lights were dim and it was hard for him to locate the mop that had been shoved into the far corner. He waited for his eyes to fully adjust before navigating around piles of bags of coffee beans and stacks of napkins. His foot caught on one of the many old uniforms strewn across the floor and he barely caught himself from careening headfirst into an old, broken coffee machine that no one ever seemed to get rid of.

His hand had just closed around the mops handle when the lights began to flicker again. His heart pounded against his ribcage as he sucked in a deep breath and waited. Splinters from the old wooden handle dug into his palms as his knuckles turned bone-white. The lights went back to normal and the steady hum of coffee machines resumed in the other room. Tweek let out a breath he hadn’t even realized he’d been holding and head back towards the dining area.

He had barely taken a step towards the puddle of coffee when the phone rang. Tweek groaned and shuffled miserably over to the shop phone behind the counter. He picked up the receiver and drawled out the same phrase that had been drilled into his mind since grade school;

“Tweek Bros. Coffee, how may I help you?”

“Twe-k!” The voice on the other end was muffled and seemed to cut out every few seconds.

“Who is this?” Tweek asked.

“I-’s Tr-ci-”

“Tricia?” Tweek repeated. Her voice was recognizable enough despite the way it was distorted through South Park’s broken phone lines. Although, Tweek wasn’t sure what was causing the interference. Usually the phones only got messed up during thunderstorms and the like, that night had been the clearest in weeks. “What’s going on?”

“I s-w s--et-i-g in t-e woods,” She sounded frantic. “Cra-g won’t b-lie-e me b-t I k--w w-at I saw!”

“Tricia, slow down,” Tweek wasn’t sure what could have gotten Tricia so worked up. She was the only person he knew seemed to have less emotions than Craig. “I don’t know what you’re-”

Tweek stopped talking when the steady beep meaning the phone line was dead erupted in his ears. He dropped the receiver in surprise and watched as it hit the counter and rolled off the edge, the cord stopping it only a seconds before it hit the floor. The lights went out and Tweek screamed. The humming of the machines around him went quiet and he was left in complete silence outside of the blood pumping in his ears.

Tweek’s breath seemed to catch in his throat as he looked out the door of the shop. All the lights in the buildings across the street had gone out, as well as the streetlamps, and the traffic lights. His cell phone vibrated in his pocket as he received a message. It was from Tricia. He quickly opened it up only to freeze the moment and image opened up on his screen. It was slightly blurred and incredibly dark but the creature in the centre was clear as day.

It wasn’t like anything he’d ever seen. It had four arms, each of it’s fingers were tipped with black claws. Curled horns stuck out of a mop of blonde hair that nearly fell down to it’s shoulders. Inky black eyes were scattered everywhere across its body except for its legs which were covered in a thick layer of dirty brown fur and seemed like they should belong to a goat. Crimson wings that sprouted from its back served only to highlight the ribs that jutted from its pale torso. It’s face was the hardest to look at. It seemed almost like it was human, or at least had been. The only differences being the third eye set into its forehead and the rows upon rows of pointed teeth that were revealed in an animalistic snarl.

Tweek set the phone down as a sudden wave of recognition washed over him.

It looked like Kenny.

 

Stan couldn’t remember a time that he’d been more scared to see someone. He travelled across the linoleum floors as slowly as he good, dragging his feet with each step. The nurses stopped in front of a door, motioning for him to go inside. Stan took a moment to pull himself together and remind himself that it was his choice to do this. Although, he’d never be able to live with himself if he didn’t.

The door was heavier than he expected and it took him a minute to finally force it open. The room inside was padded from wall to floor to ceiling. It was dark and Stan had to wait for his eyes to adjust. If it weren’t for the familiar red curls Stan wouldn’t have recognized Kyle. He was paler than usual, with sunken cheeks and dark circles over his eyes. The usual bright hopefulness that always followed him around was missing, replaced with a dark nothingness.

“Kyle?” Stan’s voice strained.

Kyle raised his head, locks of hair falling into his eyes. They had a brief moment of eye contact before he went back to staring at the floor. Stan glanced at the floor as well, awkwardly shuffling his feet as he tried to think of what to say next. “Can I come in?”

“If you want to,” it was barely a whisper. His voice sounded raspy. “I doubt I actually have a choice.”

“If you don’t want to talk,” Stan stepped forward, “just tell me.”

“Alright.” Kyle hissed. “I don’t want to talk.”

“Just-” Stan took another step, pretending not to notice the way Kyle shrank further into the wall- “hear me out first.”

Kyle exhaled sharply, it almost sounded like a laugh. He didn’t say anything else so Stan assumed that it was his cue to speak.

“I know you’re angry with me.” Stan picked at his fingernails. “You have every right to be angry with me.” He shoved his hands into his pockets. “But you have to see this from where I’m standing!”

Kyle scoffed.

“First one of my friends die and then you of all people try to tell me that he’s still alive?” Stan was trying to keep his volume down. “At first I thought it was some kind of joke. I wanted it to be a joke.” His eyes were watering. “I already lost Kenny and I didn’t want to lose you too.”

Kyle looked back up at him, holding his gaze.

“I wasn’t sure what to do and I know you took this way harder than I did-” Stan swiped at his eyes- “I just thought that maybe if I ignored everything that happened then maybe I could forget it ever happened.” He chuckled wetly. “That sure turned out great.”

Kyle was silent, looking anywhere in the room except Stan. The lights flickered and they both froze.

“He’s…” Kyle’s eyes had glossed over. He started shaking. “He’s coming.”

“Who?” Stan asked. “You don’t mean-”

The lights flickered again and Kyle’s mouth twisted into a wide smile. “He’s coming to get me!”

“Kyle,” Stan muttered. “It was just the-”

The lights went out, leaving them both in the darkness.

It was silent except for two words. Two words that would haunt Stan for the rest of his miserable life.

“He’s here.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so I know the first part with Kenny was really rushed and confused and I promise I meant to hint at what was going on in previous chapters but I forgot so in case you were wondering what was going on I'll explain it below:
> 
> So pretty much the more time Kenny spends in the oblivion the more his body adapts to living there. One of those adaptations is the ability to see the places where the connection between the Oblivion and our world is the strongest. Kenny used one of those places and managed to use it to travel through so he could get back to South Park. But him travelling back and forth caused a spike in electricity which is why the power went out.
> 
> I also just want to say thank you for the comments and kudos. They're the main reason why I have motivation to write at all.


	6. Familiar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Following a power outage, something else arrives in South Park.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OH MY GoD this chapter took forever but I'm actually super proud of how it turned out!

Red lights flooded the room as the generator kicked in. Kyle blinked, waiting for his eyes to adjust. It was quiet except for Stan’s panicked breathing and the click of fluorescent lights being turned back on in the hallways. Kyle closed his eyes, inhaling deeply. When he opened them again, the white walls washed away to make room for a forest. It was familiar.

Kyle looked around, his breath catching when he caught sight of something in the distance. It turned its head, blonde hair falling in front of its eyes as it gaped at him. It reached out its hand, calling to him. Kyle took a step forward, then another. He was getting closer and closer with every step. He reached out his own hand, fingertips brushing against Kenny’s just as-

“Kyle!” Stan gripped Kyle by the shoulders, face uncomfortably close. Kyle’s breath caught in his throat, tears welling in his eyes.

“I was so close,” He gasped, struggling to take any air into his lungs. His eyes met Stan’s, he clenched his jaw. “I was so fucking close.”

Stand furrowed his brow, gripping Kyle’s shoulders even tighter. “Close to what?”

A heavy lump had caught in Kyle’s throat. His eyes burned as he shoved Stan as far as he could. He could feel his heart pounding against his ribs as he screamed. “I already told you I didn’t want to talk to you!”

Stan didn’t reply.

“You ruined everything,” Kyle shouted between heavy breaths. His hands were shaking. “You always ruin everything!”

Stan got to his feet and shoved his hands into his pocket. “I know. That’s why I wanted to apologize in the first place, but-”

“Shut up,” Kyle growled. “Just shut up and leave me alone. I don’t need you or anyone else here.”

He didn't mean that. He couldn’t. Stan and Kyle had been best friends since pre-school, they never left each other’s sides. But looking at the way Kyle shook with anger, his eyes narrowed as he glared at Stan with every ounce of hatred in his body, Stan realized that the childhood bond that he had cherished for so long had faded away before his eyes.

“I’m sorry.” Stan’s voice broke. “I didn’t know your parents would react like this when-” He cut himself off when Kyle looked away.

“It doesn’t matter,” a smile pulled at Kyle’s lips. “I’ll be out soon anyway."

Stan gnawed at the inside of his cheek. He had nothing left to say and he doubted he could take another second in that room. He stepped outside, the flickering lights seemed to match his heart as he walked through the halls. The gentle hum of the generator did nothing to ease his anxiety as he approached the exit. He couldn’t help but think about how sure Kyle seemed about Kenny coming for him. Even if it wasn’t Kenny, Stan had seen the way Kyle’s eyes had lit up at the flickering of the lights. The crushing ache he felt in his chest as the room was bathed in the blood-like colour of the emergency lights. He hesitated as he reached for the exit. Something was coming and he was going to find out what.

 

 

Tweek zipped up his jacket as he stared solemnly at the darkened streets outside. He pressed his hand against the glass door, preparing himself to leave. He had closed the shop early because of the power outage and was hoping to stop by Craig’s house before heading home. He mainly just wanted to check on Tricia. He couldn’t get the message she had sent him out of his head. Whatever that creature was looked like it had been made to kill, and Tweek was terrified knowing that anyone he knew had been within 30 feet of it.

The bells above the door jingled as he left, closing the door behind him and twisting the key in the lock. The streets were completely dark and void of sound, the only light coming from the full moon bathing the town in silver. That was strange. Tweek could have sworn that the next full moon wasn’t supposed to happen for another week.

He took a deep breath and steeled himself. After a moment he took his first step forward, his footsteps echoing against the darkened buildings. He rounded a corner, the normal busyness of cars and traffic lights that were always present -even in the night- were nowhere to be found. Tweek was walking faster, his heart thumping in time with every footstep. Breathing was getting harder. He was about to round a second corner when the shrill shriek of a car alarm stopped him in his tracks.

He jumped towards the nearest wall, hoping to hide in the shadows. Another car alarm joined the first, and then a third, they joined each other in a chorus of ear splitting noise. Tweek pressed his hands against his ears as he tried to block out the noise. The crunch of metal and smashing of glass rang louder than the alarms.

Tweek gathered his courage. A cold sweat ran down his neck as he inched towards the edge of the building, peeking around the corner. It was too dark to make out the image of whatever it was sinking its claws into the door of a silver minivan but Tweek had a pretty good guess. The creature turned its head, what must’ve have been at least twenty eyes rolled in their sockets before locking onto Tweek’s shaking form.

Tweek gasped, clasping a hand over his mouth in an attempt to hold back a shriek. He ducked back behind the building, sinking to his knees has he tried to keep himself quiet. The car alarms stopped, leaving only the sound of glass and metal being thrown across the street as the creature scurried across the concrete. Tweek squeezed his eyes shut to hold back the horrified tears starting to pool in his eyes. He took one, large, shaking breath.

And then there was silence.

 

 

He woke up to an array of strange smells and noises. His face pressed into a hard ground made of flattened stone. His claws clicked against the surface as he used his calloused hands to push him to his feet. He glanced around, vision becoming blurry as he took in his new environment. It was strange, strange yet familiar. He recognized the strong scents that stung his nose and the loud sounds that hurt his ears. He couldn’t figure out where he knew them from but they reminded him of home. He blinked as he realized that they weren’t just reminders of the place he had longed to come back too. He was there. A fanged grin spread across his face as he moved down the streets, using the light coming from the moon to guide him.

He stopped and listened as he heard approaching footsteps. He didn’t notice his hands brushing against the metal object until a shrill shriek emanated from it, drowning out the footsteps. He panicked, backing up into another one of the objects, causing it to scream as well. With a pain howl he launched himself at it, arms and legs tearing through glass and metal alike as he knocked the object into a third. He looked up, eyes swiveling in their sockets as they locked onto a creature. It’s blonde hair stuck up gravity-defying angles as it watched him, shaking. They made eye contact for a second before the creature clasped a hand over its mouth and ducked around a corner.

The shrieking wormed its way back into his thoughts and clenched his jaw. With a growl he swiped his hand at the plethora of rainbow-coloured wires in the car’s engine and the alarm went silent. He took a moment to consider where he remembered the name of the car or how to turn off the alarm before moving on to the next two. When everything went quiet he angled his head to listen for the creature.

He took three long steps and stopped before listening again. This time he could hear the creatures shaky breaths as it tried to hide. He could feel its presence on the other side of the building, its body unmoving besides the shivers that ran up its spine. He approached, stopping only inches away from where the creature sat, just outside of its line of sight. He briefly considered showing himself and seeing if the creature were friendly. Something told him that the creature would do nothing to harm him.

As he watched the tears clinging to the creature’s lashes grow in size a name was brought forward to the front of his mind;

_Tweek_

He held the name in his foremost thoughts as he watched Tweek. After a minute or so he finally decided that showing himself would go against his, or Tweek’s best interests and with one final, longing glance, he disappeared into the night.

 

Ike squinted his eyes against the harsh light of his monitor. He secured his headphones over his ears and tapped the keyboard as lightly as he could. His parents were long asleep and he was doing everything he could to keep them that way. Although, his mom was way too distraught over Kyle being sent to the ‘Mental Hospital’ to really care that he was on his computer at three in the morning anyways.

He cracked his knuckles before opening his newest game. His fingers flew across the keys as he blasted through the tutorial. He was about to start the first level when the power cut out, throwing all of his hard-earned progress out the window. He sighed, casting a glance through the darkness at the mess of mangled sheets and scattered pillows that he called a bed. He was starting to wish he had done as his mom had asked and cleaned up his room as he tripped over something on the floor.

His phone vibrated in his pocket as he sat down. He pulled it out, staring at his latest notification. He couldn’t remember the last time Tricia had texted him, or anyone outside of her immediate group of friends. That in itself was cause for concern, let alone the fact that, after taking a moment to check, the message had been sent to a group of over fifty people.

The image was blurry and it took Ike a moment to make it out. It was some kind of demonic-looking creature in the middle of a forest. It was one of the fakest images Ike had ever seen. He rolled his eyes at Tricia’s poor attempt at a prank and shut his eyes. Pulling the blankets over his body he allowed his breathing to relax as he tried to drift into sleep. He shoved a pillow over his head to block out the distant sounds of car alarms, sleep seeming harder and harder to manage every second that he lay there.

There was a noise outside. A dull thud that made Ike nearly jump out of his sheets before rolling to face the window. From his angle, he couldn’t see anything outside and that was good enough for him. He’d grown out of his fear of the dark years ago, or at least, that’s what he liked to tell himself. His shuddered and tried to block out the image that Tricia had sent him.

Another thud. This time, Ike cracked his eyes open long enough to see a shadow flicker across his window. His breathing stopped and he froze, too afraid to move. He could only watch as long, clawed fingers tapped against his windowsill. Slowly, another set of hands eased the window open and something, too obscured by the moonlight shining behind it for Ike to make out, slinked into his room.

It approached his bed. WIth each step it took the ringing in his ears grew louder until it stopped. Bending down it dragged a hand down his neck. Its fingers curled as it gripped his blanket, tugging it off of his bed. Ike gasped for air, eyes widening as he sat face to face with the creature from Tricia’s picture.

“What do you want?” He asked, his voice cracking as the creature turned its head to the side.

It made a slight hissing sound between it’s teeth before stepping backwards. It narrowed it’s eyes, making it almost look like it was thinking about something. Slowly, it reached a hand forward and dug a claw into the soft wood of Ike’s floor.

The sound that the nail made as it forced it’s way through the splintered wood was enough to make Ike cringe. He grit his teeth as he watched the creature steadily begin to make shapes out of the scratches. Although, they weren’t just shapes, Ike realized as he looked at them closer. They were letters.

“K-Y-L-E,” Ike muttered to himself as the creature finished spelling out the word. “How do you…” He trailed off as he looked up at the creature’s face. It watched him intently, teeth clicking together as it waited for him to give it an answer to some sort of unspoken question.

Ike chewed the inside of his cheek as he stared back at the creature. Despite the razor claws and even sharper teeth, it seemed pretty harmless. A low growl rose in the creature’s throat at his silence. It seemed like Ike was wrong about it being harmless. He swallowed, deciding that the consequences of answering the creature couldn’t be any worse than keeping silent.

“He’s at the Mental Hospital,” Ike said. He blinked and the creature was gone, leaving nothing behind but an open window and a few scratches in the floor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to say that all of the comments and kudos are super appreciated!!!!

**Author's Note:**

> My tumblr is [@JustThatObsession](https://justthatobsession.tumblr.com/) if you wanna give me a follow!


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